Bill Phillips took the Certificate course in Botanical Illustration at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh in 2013, winning the prize for best student portfolio. This was an interesting and enjoyable experience and was followed by the 2-year Diploma in Botanical Illustration, graduating with Distinction in 2015.

Bill continues to develop a strong and individual watercolour style, focusing on botanical subjects, but with still life and landscape also represented. Currently, he is leading workshops in botanical drawing and watercolour for beginners at the Birnam Institute.

Exhibitions include the RBGE, BISCOT, the Edinburgh Society of Botanical Artists, Dunkeld Art Exhibition and the Perth Art Association at the 64th and 65th Annual Exhibitions and the 2017 and 2018 Arts Festival Exhibitions. Bill was a short-listed artist for the National Open Art Competition 2017. His painting Beech Hedge at Meikleour was accepted for the 7th RSW Open Summer Exhibition 2018.

Jeff Banks  completed the Certificate course in Botanical Illustration at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh with distinction in 2012. This was such an engrossing experience that the 2-year Diploma in Botanical Illustration followed, graduating in 2014.

Jeff continues to enjoy much drawing and sketching, and water colour painting of botanical subjects. Favourite subjects have been native pinewoods, a portolio of Alpine plants drawn in situ in the Alps and some members of the ginger family. He is also trying a bit of landscape work. Jeff has exhibited at RBGE, BISCOT and the Edinburgh Society of Botanical Artists.

Mhorag McDowall completed the Certificate in Botanical Illustration, graduating in 2014. She then took a wee break, to have her third baby, before coming back to study the Diploma in Botanical Illustration, graduating in 2019 with distinction. Her final year pieces were all plants with links to fairytales.
In 2020, her painting of ‘Passiflora alata’ was included in the RBGE Florilegium.
Mhorag has a passion for native Scottish plants, particularly those which are rare, or in decline, and is planning to make this her focus.
Mhorag now splits her time between painting and tutoring for the online Certificate in Botanical Illustration.